Ferdowsi and the other NASA scientists will walk beside a full-size replica of the Curiosity rover, about the size of a sport utility vehicle, in the inaugural parade Jan. 21, according to the committee's Jan. 14 blog post.

"I'm excited," Ferdowsi said in the post.

"The things we do, the exploration we do, is not just about learning about other planets. It's about understanding our own," he said.

"NASA gives us a chance to travel outside our world as a way to look back and learn about ourselves as a species-as people. There's nowhere else in the world where you get to do that," said Ferdowsi, whose Twitter account, @tweetsoutloud, has more than 55,000 followers.

As for his hair, Mohawk Guy told the inaugural committee he's planning something special for Inauguration Day.

"It'll be something fun for the parade," he said. "It's a bit of a surprise."